1. Field of Invention
This document applies to the field of Dentistry and in particular to veneer the outer or facial surface of a tooth with a preformed uncured composite resin of uniform thickness for the purpose of attaining the desired esthetic result more expediently.
2. Prior Art
Many times in Dentistry, a patient will present with teeth that he or she will consider esthetically unpleasing. Typically these are the visible or front teeth that may display multiple restored areas, discolorations, uneven edges, congenital malformations, etc.
Dentists possess many restorative modalities to confront these various situations. They range from simply bleaching the teeth to fully covering the tooth with a crown. More often than not, the teeth are otherwise structurally sound and functional as to not need aggressive restoring. For these instances, dentists will elect to alter the facial or external surface of the tooth resulting in a cosmetic improvement to the tooth with minimal invasion or removal of sound tooth structure. Presently, minimally invasive cosmetic alterations of the tooth can be accomplished by placing a cover or veneer on the surface of the tooth which allows for altering both its shade and shape. This can be accomplished either with a directly applied veneer, or an indirectly applied veneer. Briefly, an indirect veneer is one that is fashioned extra-orally, typically in a dental laboratory. After tooth preparation, an impression is taken of the tooth and sent to the laboratory. The patient then returns for a subsequent visit to have the fabricated veneer inserted. The other method, direct placement, and the one that concerns this patent, is fabricated directly on the patient's prepared tooth, while the patient remains in the dental chair. The dentist, in his armamentarium, possesses an array of composite resin restorative materials of various shades with which to apply to the tooth for the purpose of shade and or anatomical alteration of the prepared tooth. Typically, the dentist will dispense the appropriate shade and quantity of resin, and apply the dispensed mass directly to the prepared tooth and proceed to tamp down the mass to a uniform thickness while simultaneously manipulating the mass to conform to the outline of the prepared tooth. The process of arriving at a uniform deposition of resin material involves the repeated application and reduction or resin before uniformity is achieved. This translates into a tedious process, consuming chair time, which can lead patient stress and a reduction of the dentist's office efficiency. DIRECT PRESS ON VENEER, by virtue of providing the clinician with a pre-shaped tooth covering consisting of uncured resin of proper shade, enables him or her in a singular motion to cover or veneer the tooth and thereby eliminate the tedium associated with the previously described conventional method of application.
Thusly, the veneer may upon application, be polymerized trimmed, polished and permanently bonded to the prepared tooth. Typically veneer resins are less viscous so that they may be manipulated more readily on the tooth surface. This lower viscosity is a result of lower filler content relative to the binding matrix. Consequently, the surface hardness is lessened and the ability to maintain a luster is diminished. The Direct Press On Veneer technique allows for a resin with higher filler content, and concomitant increased hardness and maintenance of surface luster. As an alternative, the Direct Press On Veneer may be utilized as a means for temporization when the intent of the dentist is to restore the tooth with a direct type veneer. In such case, the Direct Press On Veneer would be temporarily affixed to the prepared tooth for the purpose of intentional removal at the time of insertion of the finished direct veneer. Simultaneous application of resin to two or more teeth may provide a broader esthetic result and or serve to splint or connect teeth for the purpose of reinforcing a periodontally compromised tooth.
While there does exist a myriad of composite resin dental restorative materials, they exist primarily encapsulated in bulk form, whether it be in compule or syringe. The Direct Press On Veneer exists as a preformed entity of specific dimensions whose application is unique from the traditional manner of veneering a tooth. As such, there is no past or current modality which employs preformed, shaped, tooth facial coverings to be applied in the un-polymerized state.
Accordingly several advantages of the present provisional patent application of Brian D. Viscomi for DIRECT PRESS ON VENEER are:                1. Allows dentist to select veneer of desired shade        2. Veneer's uniform thinness eliminates bulky appearance        3. Uniform thickness allows for consistent appearance with multiple placements        4. Preformed shape is quickly adapted to tooth thereby expediting the procedure        5. Preformed veneers can serve as temporization for subsequent indirect veneer placement        6. Can be finished and polished either intra or extra-orally        7. Tint and opaque mediums may be applied to either tooth substrate or preformed veneer        8. Broad application of resin permits simultaneous multiple restorations        9. Engaging adjacent teeth may aid in splinting of a periodontally involved tooth        10. Accommodates a higher filled resin to enhance durability.        